Cassandra Austin - The Unlikely Wife

“Indians?” Alicia and Belle said together, the former with more awe and less terror than the latter.

“I insist that you wait here,” Hale continued, folding his arms. “The end of the track is Ellsworth. We’re not even running supplies through there yet Last I heard they have but four completed buildings, three of which are saloons.”

“But surely the army hasn’t stopped moving,” Rebecca said. Much as she liked General Hale and his wife, she didn’t want to wait here. Ending the uprising could take all summer, and she wanted to see her father and get settled again. “When is the next supply caravan?”

“In two days. But that isn’t fit transportation for gentlewomen like yourselves.” Rebecca thought his smile was somewhat condescending. Before she could retort, he continued, “Your father didn’t plan an escort of any kind? I’d like to, but…”

Rebecca sat forward. “Excuse me, General, but if there are Indians to be caught, I doubt if either of you can spare the men. No, the caravan will do.” Rebecca didn’t turn to see her companions’ reactions to her pronouncement. The general’s dubious smile was enough.

“Dear girl,” he began, but the orderly chose that moment to return and announce their carriage was ready. General Hale ushered them out of the headquarters and helped them one by one into the carriage. He drove them personally to his quarters, a house near enough that Rebecca could easily have walked the distance in the time it had taken to hitch up the carriage.

Myrtle Hale greeted them effusively and her husband left, promising to send Masters to the train station for their trunks. Myrtle sent her maid scurrying to find places for them to sleep while she led them to a tiny, overdecorated room that served as a parlor. The room was dark; its one small window was covered with heavy drapes of faded maroon. But it was cooler than it had been outside.

“Please sit down,” Myrtle directed. “I’ll put water on for tea.”

“Pardon me,” Belle murmured. “If you’ll direct me to the privy…”

“Of course. Make yourselves comfortable, girls.”

The moment the older women were gone Alicia whispered, “That was your young lieutenant in the general’s office.”

Rebecca nodded, not wanting them to be overheard. She crossed the room to sit in an ornately carved chair.

Alicia followed. She picked up a china figure from the table next to Rebecca, but instead of inspecting it cast a furtive glance toward the door. Rebecca could see a faint circle where the figure had been. Now that she had seen it, she could smell the dust. Aunt Belle would be shocked but Rebecca knew how difficult it was to keep the dust out when the wind blew nearly all the time.

“But what’s he doing here?” Alicia whispered.

Rebecca shrugged and tried to sound bored. “He’s a soldier. This is a fort. He probably belongs here.” Why, in heaven’s name, didn’t I think of that? She let her fingers trace the carvings in the arm of the chair.

Alicia replaced the figure and was silent for a long moment. “I wish I could be like you,” she sighed, sinking into a chair opposite Rebecca.

Rebecca raised a questioning eyebrow.

“The way you talk to men, I mean, and flirt.” She giggled a little, and Rebecca imagined her remembering her bold perusal of the lieutenant on the train. She suppressed a groan. “If they even look at me,” Alicia went on, “I turn suddenly stupid.”

“Some men like that,” Rebecca said.

Alicia smiled, a gentle, knowing smile that always caught Rebecca by surprise. “But I don’t like the men that do.”

“Do what?” Belle entered the parlor and looked around. She chose a large padded chair near the door and, as she settled into it, began fanning herself. “Is it always this hot?”

“It’s a little unusual this early in the summer,” Rebecca offered, hoping Aunt Belle would forget the comment she had overheard. “We get some lovely weather in September.”

“This whole trip has been more misery than anything else,” Belle muttered.

Rebecca bit her tongue. Father had told her once his sister felt things more sharply than others. Her own assessment was less charitable. Yet she tried to be patient. After all, both Belle and Alicia were in mourning.

Myrtle came with the tea tray, offering each a lovely china cup and saucer. “Just one cup, and I’ll let you rest. You must all be exhausted from your trip. I find train travel so tedious.”.

Alicia and Belle groaned their agreement while Rebecca opened her mouth to disagree. Feeling outnumbered, she settled into the uncomfortable chair as best she could and listened to the others talk. When the maid announced that a room had been made ready where they could rest, the women rose. Rebecca expressed a desire to walk. The others eyed her with considerable surprise but didn’t argue.

Alicia caught her arm and held her back as the older women left the room. “Are you going to look for your lieutenant?” she whispered.

“He’s not my lieutenant,” Rebecca hissed.

“What will you do if you meet him?”

“I’ll…” Oh drat, what would she do? “Come with me,” she suggested impulsively, taking her cousin’s hand.

Alicia shrank away from her. “I can’t now. I’m too tired. And what would Mother say?”

Rebecca let her go. She resigned herself to staying at the house. In the kitchen she washed her face, then filled a tall glass with water to take with her to the porch. There were no chairs so Rebecca sat on the top step and listened to the flag snap as she sipped her water.

The row of three officers’ quarters faced another row across the parade ground. The barracks buildings made up the other two sides of the square. There was very little going on in this part of the fort this time of the day. She longed to visit the sutler’s store, to walk past the blacksmith’s shop, the saddler’s, the carpenter’s, to see if they had changed since her last visit. But she couldn’t risk running into the lieutenant.

She leaned against the porch post and closed her eyes. Why should he have such an effect on her? All her other conquests had been easy to dismiss. She should dismiss him as well and take her walk. She had nearly resolved to do just that when she thought of coming face-to-face with him. Her pulse raced just imagining it. She would probably blush and stammer like Alicia.

She would have liked to examine her surprising reaction a bit more, but she saw the general approaching. She quickly rose and went to meet him. “I didn’t expect you so soon, General.”

“I managed to get away a little early. Are the others resting?”

“I believe so.” Rebecca resumed her seat on the stairs and pulled the general down beside her. “Can’t we really go with the supply train?”

“My dear, you’re all welcome here until the coaches are running again. It’ll make a much more comfortable trip.”

Rebecca let her eyes do the pleading. “Every time we moved when I was young we would travel with the garrison. And don’t tell me Aunt Belle isn’t used to it. Mama wasn’t either until her first trip.”

“But the uprising…”

“Indians virtually never attack large groups of soldiers unless cornered.” A glance at Hale showed how little effect her words had. She cast her eyes downward. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Father.” Why was it that whimpering worked better with men than logic?

“But—” He hesitated.

Rebecca turned away and said in a small voice, “If it’s impossible, I understand.” That would have been the coup de grace with Father.

“Don’t cry, dear. Are you so eager to leave us?”

Rebecca kept her dry eyes averted and shrugged her shoulders delicately.